Chandigarh, Oct 6: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted coordinated raids at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Camp Office in Sector 2, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. The agency simultaneously searched the residence of the Chief Minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Rajbir Ghuman, in Gharachon village, as well as the home of Ghuman’s relative in Mohali, as part of an expanding probe into an alleged “cash-for-posting” and favorable tender scam.
The central agency initiated the formal investigation and registered an FIR after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed action in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The court stepped in after state authorities reportedly failed to pursue corruption leads previously flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding high-ranking administration officials.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sharply criticized the operation, characterizing the searches as politically driven tactics aimed at undermining his administration ahead of state assembly polls.
“This is the BJP strategy for getting ready for the polls… by using both the ED and CBI to tarnish my image,” stated Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, maintaining that central agencies were being deployed to defame the state government.
Legal sources noted that the CBI action comes as the matter moves toward scheduled hearings in the Supreme Court.
“The court-mandated investigation ensures an independent review into serious allegations involving public office functionaries,” affirmed a legal representative associated with the proceedings.
